All toddlers go through picky eating phases. Sometimes they are short-lived, but other times they can seem to last forever. How do I know? Well, besides having worked with toddlers for 4 years, I’m also living with an extremely stubborn, picky eating toddler right this minute. But I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve that I’m using to deal with Mac’s picky phase because I don’t want to make food a fight.

First of all, let me say that I used to brag about Mac’s refined palate. We did baby led weaning and she would eat basically any food I put in front of her. But she has come to that age where all of a sudden she is a person with her own thoughts and opinions. And let me tell you, while I love a strong-willed child (you go girl!), I would love it more if she would just eat what we make for our dinner.

I’ve already written about making sure you don’t make food a fight. So we serve her our dinner, she tries it and if she doesn’t want to eat that, she gets a peanut butter sandwich. But there are a few more ways I try to help her picky eating.

Toddler Friendly Foods

If you want a toddler to eat broccoli, don’t give them raw broccoli and have them go for it. Many adults don’t even like raw broccoli. But if you steam it and cover it in butter, chances are your toddler will be way more likely to at least try it.

Give them different fruits and even greens in a smoothie. Make “healthier” muffins with different types of fruit. If you do give raw vegetables, give them some hummus or another healthy dip to make it a bit more fun.

No Pressure

It is so hard not to pressure your child to eat the healthy food in front of them. Every once in a while I find myself starting to turn up the heat on Mac and I have to remind myself to take a step back. Many times, Mac will try the food in front of her if we don’t make it a big deal. If Andrew and I are focusing on our dinner, she is like 95% more likely to actually try whatever is in front of her.

We also don’t pressure her to clean her plate. Toddlers are very in tune with their bodies. They eat when they are hungry and they stop when they are full. Making them clean their plate is teaching them to ignore their hunger cues. Just like adults have varying appetites, so do toddlers.

If you need some other tips to make dinnertime less stressful, read about how we have made dinnertime a fun part of the day. We also have a podcast about surviving and enjoying family dinner.

Get Them Involved

Last summer, we tried our hand at gardening. Mac liked watching vegetables grow and, despite our lack of success, she liked eating the few things we were able to bring home. Allowing her to help with the garden gave her a sense of pride.

But gardening isn’t everyone’s shtick. In that case, let your toddler come grocery shopping with you and allow them to have some say in the decisions. They could choose between green peppers and red peppers or whether they would rather have raspberries or strawberries.

Allow them to also help prepare meals or snacks. Even having them watch while you narrate how you are cutting up a mango will make them feel like they are a part of it. The tutorial can end with each of you trying a piece of mango.

How do you deal with picky eating?

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